Can You Keep A Secret?
by BellasMommy
Summary: Bella is a single mom. A change of plans moves her and Nessie to NY. Her past comes back to haunt her. She's keeping a secret from him that will change everyones lives forever. canon pairings, AU-Human.
1. Change of Plans

Head First

Chapter One-Change of Plans

Chapter Song: I Will Not Bow-Breaking Benjamin

"Hey Angela," I called as I exited the elevator.

"Hey Bella. Here are Jason's messages," she said, handing me the stack of slips. "Is Nessie at school?"

"Yes. Hey, do you want to do lunch today?"

"Sounds good."

"Okay, I'll see you around eleven or so."

I waved the slips in the air and stalked towards my desk outside of Jason's office. I'd been working as his PA for almost two years. We were friends, and it was nice to be able to get along with your boss. Plus, my daughter Nessie was friends with his two little girls, Jane and Emily. I loved my job; my boss was nice, my co-workers were nice, and it was a great environment.

Mr. Jenks walked around the corner then and gave me a warm smile, asking how my morning had been.

"It's been good, Jason. How about yours?" I asked in return.

He let out a huff of breath. "Helen was having some trouble with the girls, and she had to be at the hospital early, so I had to help get them motivated. Then traffic was a little hectic, but all in all, I'm a little late, but things haven't been too bad. Just a little backed up."

"Well, here are your messages," I handed him the slips and continued, "You have a nine o'clock meeting in about an hour, then lunch whenever that's finished."

He looked a little confused. "Why is that the only meeting this morning? I usually have at least two, then more work backed up in my office. Lately, I haven't had very many things sent down to me."

"It's the Volturi client, sir. They wanted to buffer out a few expenses with their account. I'm sorry, I didn't know why they wanted your entire morning, but since they are important clients, I didn't argue." I shrugged it off. I hadn't done anything wrong. I knew Jason wasn't angry with me, he was just a little perplexed.

I gave him an apologetic look, and he nodded while walking into his office. Things have been a little slow around here lately. I think he was more nervous than anything. The Volturi account would bring us back up in the marketing world, and we really needed things to go as smoothly as possible.

Forty-five minutes later, I had the conference room set up and was at my desk readying myself for lots of solitaire and taking messages for the next few hours.

After about twenty games of solitaire, and winning only two, I realized it was time for lunch. My stomach rumbled in annoyance of being empty. I was gathering my things and headed to Angela's desk when I realized Mr. Jenks hadn't returned from his meeting. It was normal to be in a meeting for a few hours, but never this long.

"So where are we eating?" I asked as I approached Angela waiting for the elevator.

"How about Jolie's? It's right around the corner, so we can walk," she stated.

I nodded in approval as we stepped into the elevator, pressing the button for the ground floor.

When we arrived at Jolie's, we ordered our food and began small talk.

"So how's Nessie liking school?" she asked, starting the conversation.

"She loves it. I've never seen someone so eager to wake up and go learn in my entire life," I said, smiling cheekily. Everyone I knew could tell how proud I was of my daughter. She was always the focus of my conversation and my thoughts.

"She gets it from her mother. Bella, you've done such a good job at raising her on your own. I've never met such a sweet and polite little girl. She's so smart, beautiful, and outgoing."

I felt tears welling up in my eyes. It was one thing for me to gloat about my daughter and how she excelled in life, but it was entirely another when someone else spoke so highly of my little girl. It wasn't the easiest thing growing up so fast. I was only twenty years old when I became pregnant with Nessie. I finished college online and received my degree in art. When reality hit me, I decided I had to move back in with my mother Renee and take care of Nessie for a while. After she was a little older, we got our own place, an apartment suite in central San Diego, and I would take her to day care after I got a small job as a secretary at a law firm.

A few years later, Nessie started school, and I got the job here as Jason's assistant. Nessie was now in third grade, and doing exceptionally well in her classes. She went to a private school across town. It was a better schooling program, and we could afford the tuition. She loved school, homework, and reading. She was every mothers image of the perfect child. I didn't push her to do the extra little things she did, I just wanted her to do her homework and get good grades. She would insist she liked getting ahead in her work, and reading that extra chapter in the book. She was polite, and I would never catch her being rude to anyone. I had never been more proud of someone in my entire life, and we did it together. Just the two of us, so when someone complimented how great she was, it was one of the greatest things in the world.

"Thanks, Ang. You know that means a lot to me," I said, willing the tears to stay behind my lids.

"Honey, you know you did a great job raising that little girl on your own. No one needs to tell you that," she retorted.

"It's good to hear, just the same."

"Yeah, especially after her dead beat dad skipped town," she muttered under her breath, taking a sip of her water and averting her eyes to look around the restaurant.

If only she knew I was the one to skip town.

I never told her the truth of my past. I just let her come up with her own assumptions. I don't like what I did, not at all, but with the way things have turned out, I wouldn't take back anything I decided upon. No way in hell.

_**Flashback**_

_I sighed and rolled over on my stomach and dove my toes into the sand, grabbing my book from beside my bag and opening it up to the middle of the book._

_Tanya had gone to cool off in the ocean, but I decided to stay put for a little while, telling her I'd join her later. It was only a little past noon, and the sun was radiating heat all over my body. I was burning up, but it wasn't everyday I got to see the sun. Back home, in Forks, the sun would only come out when it wasn't being stubborn, which was practically never. I was going to take advantage of this little Spring Break trip._

_I wasn't usually one to up and leave for a crazy road trip out of nowhere, but I needed a break from the college atmosphere._

_We'd arrived last night and we were going to be here for a week. I was going to let loose and have my fun. I wasn't going to worry about consequences, professors, or all the crazy essays I needed to get finished before school was back in session._

_At least that's what I kept telling myself._

_I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice when a frisbee came flying in my direction and smacked into my forehead._

_"Ow!" I yelped, dropping my book and clutching my head._

_"Oh, shit! I'm so sorry! Emmett was being an idiot and I wasn't paying attention. Are you okay?" someone asked frantically._

_I sat up and looked up into the most amazing pair of green eyes I had ever seen on a man. "Um, yeah, I think so," I said still rubbing my forehead._

_He smiled this crooked smile that literally took my breath away. It was then that I noticed his disheveled hair that was wild, crazy, and couldn't decide which direction it wanted to go. It was a reddish brown, and sexy as hell. I kept looking down and noticed he was sitting in a crouch with his hands resting in the sand to hold himself steady. That didn't block my view of his muscular chest and six pack abs just screaming to be touched. His legs were just as toned, sticking out from a pair of black and green board shorts. My gaze followed up his toned arms and lingered on his toned biceps. He wasn't too bulky, where it was a little disgusting and have muscles on top of your muscles. I tore my gaze from his arms and looked back at his face that was still holding that sexy grin. His face was beautiful. He had the kind of face any model would give their left nut for. Literally, he was that gorgeous._

_He chuckled and held out his strong hand and long fingers to me, "Edward Cullen," he said introducing himself._

_"Bella Swan," I said grabbing his hand._

_"Nice to meet you."_

I was snapped back from my rambunctious thoughts and shuddered. I didn't like to think of those days from back when. No matter how many times I pushed them into the far depths of my mind, they always somehow managed to creep up on me, and pop up out of no where.

"You okay?" Angela asked.

"Hm? Oh, yes, I'm fine. Just thinking," I countered. "Did you notice Jason was still in the conference room when we left?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I wonder why. I've been getting a bad feeling about things lately. I was going over some review sheets and noticed that we've lost over half of our clients."

"What?!" I couldn't get my jaw off the table.

"Yeah, ever since the Volturi account started. I guess things have just been so wrapped up in them we've lost our attention to other clients, forcing them to go else where."

I hadn't heard anything about losing clients. Maybe that's what was bothering Jason. I tried to change the subject.

"So anyways, how's Ben?" Ben was Angela's husband and high school sweetheart. They were the ideal couple, really.

"He's fine. A little stressed over work. He wants to open another store in L.A. but the guys don't think it's a good idea since they aren't that high up on profits yet. They want to wait until next Spring, but he thinks it would bring their profit up hastily."

Ben opened his own clothing store a few months back, and it was the hottest thing right now. However, in order to make money, you have to spend money. They've been spending every dime they made on advertisements, and getting top label companies to put their clothing in their stores. Things were actually going pretty good as far as entrepreneurs go. Usually you would see a new store on the block, and the next week, the lot would be up for sale again.

"Well, I can see where his thoughts are headed. He wants to expand, but maybe he should take things a little slow Ang. I mean, L.A. isn't going anywhere. Maybe they can compromise and open one up in the fall," I tracked.

"Good point. I'll mention it to him. Thanks Bells," she gave my hand a reasurring squeeze on top of the table.

We finished eating and headed back to the office, and I left Angela at her desk, while heading to mine. It didn't pass my notice that the conference door was _still _closed.

About an hour later, I saw Jason coming around the corner with a far away look and appearing to be deep in thought. His tie was loosened and the top few buttons of his shirt were undone. He had his jacket slung over his shoulder, and his hair looked like he'd ran his hand through it one too many times.

"Jase? Are you okay? You look like shit," I stated honestly.

We were friends as well as co-workers, and we were brutally honest, so me knocking on his appearance wasn't a big deal to either of us.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, long meeting."

With that, he headed into his office and shut the door.

I didn't see him when I left the building.

"Mommy! Look what I made you!" Nessie yelled as she got into the car and I started pulling away from the school.

I was sitting in traffic when she handed me a picture of two stick people and what looked like the beach.

"Wow honey. This is great! Is that us?" I asked. Of course I knew it was, but I could tell she wanted to speak of the drawing.

"Of course Moma! Who else would it be?" she smiled.

Nessie never asked about who her father was. She had a few times over the years growing up. Asking why all her friends had a Mommy and a Daddy, and she only had a Mommy. I told her it was because God thought she was special and only needed one. If she had both, other children might be upset that she did. She just smiled and said 'so that means I'm extra special, right Moma?' I told her of course. She never seemed to ask anymore as she got older. I never brought it up, and only spoke of it when she mentioned it, but luckily, she hadn't spoken about it either.

"Moma, can I still play with Jane and Emily today?" she had been excited all week for today. Every Wednesday we went to Jason's home so she could have her weekly tea party. We went every week, but she never cease to ask.

"Yes baby. You just have to change out of your uniform first, then we will head over there."

We arrived at the apartment a few minutes later and headed inside. I've never seen an eight year old girl change so fast.

"Okay I'm all ready to go! Come on mommy, let's go! Let's go!" she grabbed my hand and started dragging me to the door. I decided to play with her, and stopped walking. She turned around and pulled on my arm with full force, before running behind me and pushing me forward.

"Mommy, let's go! We have to get there soon or they will think we aren't coming!" she said, still pushing on my lower back.

"Oh, honey... losing... balance... strength..." i feigned being tired and off balance, and collapsed on top of her, crushing her under my body chuckling.

"Mommy, get up!" she laughed struggling to get free.

I laughed at her efforts and reluctantly got up, taking her hand and helping her up before walking out the door.

"Evening Ms. Bella. Wednesday tea party?" my neighbor, Gianna, asked. She was an older woman, and very kind. We spoke every now and then.

"Yes, Gianna. Can't you tell? I think she's about to tear off my arm," I said, motioning to Nessie, who was still tugging on my arm, trying to get me down the stairs.

I waved a goodbye before I fell face first down the steps.

We got in the car and drove the the Jenks's house.

Nessie knocked on the door and rang the door bell at the same time until a flustered Helen opened the door. She had the same look on her face her husband was wearin earlier. I looked back to the driveway and saw his car. Something was going on, and it wasn't good.

"Hello, Mrs. Jenks. I am here for the tea party. Are Emily and Jane here as well?" Nessie asked in her 'polite' voice.

"Why, yes, Nessie. They are in the playroom awaiting your arrival," she said moving to the side so a squeeling little girl could get through and run up the winding staircase.

"Hello Helen. It's good to see you again. How are things?" I asked, trying not to sound concerned. Apparently it didn't work as well as I thought it did.

"Bella, it's good to see you too. Please, come in. Jason is in the den. He would like to speak with you."

I followed her into the den, where Jason was sitting in a leather, wingback chair sipping on a glass of scotch.

"Bells, I've got bad news, and I don't know how I'm going to tell you all of it, so I'm just going to get to the point, and let everything out. You may want to sit down," he said pointing to the couch. His wife took the arm of the chair he was seated in, and started rubbing soothing circles on his back.

"Okay. Just let me know what's going on Jason," I said worridly.

_Was I getting fired? I hadn't done anything wrong. Nothing comes to mind at least._

"Bella, the company has been bought out."

I nodded, still a little confused. 'So someone else owned the company now? Big deal. The world keeps spinning Jason.' I wanted to say.

He must have noticed my look, because he let out a puff of air before continuing. "The company that bought us out is not planning on keeping any members of the office. I was told we were bought out by another firm, but no one will tell me who. From what I understand, they are buying out companies to expand theirs, you know, make their company the only choice for anyone."

I didn't know what to say. We'd all lost our jobs? Me, Jason, Angela, even Sam in the mail room? What was going to happen now?

"We are all going to be told in a meeting next week, and we are to all be out of the office by no later than Wednesday of next week. Bella, is there somewhere you can find a job?" he leaned forward and looked very worried.

"I don't know. I won't find one that pays as well, I know tha much," reality began to sink in, and I was starting to realize the severity of the situation. "I won't have enough money to pay for our apartment suite. It's too pricey. And Nessie's school tuition! I haven't paid for the second semester yet! How can they just yank our jobs away from us! Jason, what are we all going to do?! What are you going to do?!" I was having trouble breathing. I realized my face was wet with tears, as was Helen's.

"I don't know Bells. I just don't know," he slumped his head down and looked defeated. There was nothing we could do. I knew that. Jason could find another job by next week, but me and Angela? We were secretaries that made way more money than was probably legal. Well, technically, I was a PA, but that was just like being a secretary.

"Look, I called around, and I found you a job. I'm not sure if you want it, but I'm offering," he added.

"What is it?" I asked,trying to be a good sport.

"It's the same as Angela's job, and you would make almost what you made with me, but a little less."

"Well, that sounds fine. I'd rather take a pay cut, then be unemployed."

"Well, here's the catch, and it's a big one," he began, while I waited, "it's in New York."

"No. Not happening. I'm not moving my daughter all the way across the country. There has to be something here!" I was standing up being frantic again, but they didn't seem to care.

"Look, I'm not going to tell them you said no, I'll tell them you're thinking about it, and you can look for a job. If you don't find one, and decide you want to take it, all it takes is one phone call, okay?"

I nodded, but told him not to hold his breath.

"Wait, does Angela know about his?"

"Yes, she's going to go into business with her husband," Helen answered.

I didn't realize how long we had been talking until three little girls entered the den, and we all plastered fake smiles on our faces.

"Mommy! We had tea, and they let me be the guest of honder!" Nessie exclaimed.

"It's honor honey, and that's great," I said, trying to keep my composure.

Helen shot me an apologetic look while she escorted us to the door.

"Nessie, honey, go wait in the car for mommy, okay?"

She nodded and ran down the stairs to the car.

"Bella, think about what Jason said okay? I know it's a big change, but things aren't going too good here. Take the job, start fresh. You won't be able to find a job making as much money as you did before, but this job will be as close as you can get," she said.

"I'll think about it," I told her, not meaning what I'd said.

When we got home, Nessie grabbed my hand and pulled me to the couch.

"Moma, I know something's wrong. What is it?" she asked.

The child comforting the mother, how ironic.

"Sweetie, mommy isn't going to be working with Jason anymore. She needs to find a new job, but it's going to be very hard," I knew she'd understand what I was saying. She was smart for an eight year old.

"Well, mommy, if we need to go somewhere else where you can work and make money, I'll go with you without complaining. I'll be fine with whatever we do," she grabbed my hand, "it can be our little adventure mommy! We can travel across the country and find you a good job and me a good school! As long as I can take my books!"

How was this little girl her age? She seemed to have the brain of someone much, much older.

As much as I loved her enthusiasm, I couldn't help but scold myself. I was going to take her from her school, her friends. Mom and Dad died a few years back, so we had no family, and Angela was pretty much my only friend. Nessie, though, she had tons of friends, and loved it here, I couldn't tear her happiness away like that. She deserved so much better. I couldn't aruge with the fact that I didn't many options though, but that didn't go without trying.

I smiled, "I know sweetie, let's just stay here for awhile while mommy looks for a new job. Okay?"

"Okay moma. I'm sleepy. Will you read me a story after I get ready for bed?"

"Of course, baby."

A month. It's been a damn month and I hadn't found a single suitable job. Sure, you could say I was being picky, but that wasn't really the case. We had a lot of bills that needed paid, and a McDonalds salary just wasn't going to cut it. I'd tried everything. I've scanned the paper and internet looking for openings, I've made calls, I've made appearances, but I still came up empty handed.

Nessie was always being supportive. She kept telling me to not give up, and that she belived in me. She always made me smile when I needed to. She knew she was the center of my world, and that moving some place new was all about her, and she kept asking me when we were going on our adventure. She said she didn't mind leaving everything behind. She could make new friends, and she was sure she'd like her new school.

I didn't know what else to do. I'd pulled out all the stops and nothing. I gave it a month, and then I did the last thing I wanted to do.

I called Jason.


	2. Cookies

_New Chapter! Woo! Everything keeps changing because I can't decide how I want every little thing to play out, but this is how it ended. Let me know how it played out if you want!_

_Okay, so this chapter is freakishly long, but its filler. Emmett and Rosalie meet, and there are a few more flashbacks. Oh, and we learn when Edward and Jasper come into the story, which is soon! I promise!_

_Thanks! Enjoy!  
_

_I own nothing. Too obvious? Darn._

New York was turning out better than I would have imagined. Jason got me a job working as a PA for Emmett Cullen at a marketing company. I'm not sure about the details of his business, I just control his schedule. Nessie ended up getting in to a top private school after her old one called with a recommendation. She couldn't be happier, and honestly, neither could I. I had this image of what it would be like; us struggling to pay for everything, Nessie attending a giant public school where she was picked on for being intelligent, and my job being full of heinous people. When in reality, things couldn't be better.

Emmett was a really nice guy, and was generous in his pay for me. I made a little more than I did back in California. I even made a few friends. My neighbor Rosalie Hale and I have grown really close over the two months we've been here, as well as me and her friend Alice. We hang out all the time and I've grown attached to the friendship we've developed together. Rosalie owns a body shop called 'Shifters'. She loves working on cars, and can be very intimidating since she is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen with my two brown eyes. Alice, well… She's a little bundle of joy. She reminds me of the Energizer bunny, but in a good way. Her happiness is infectious.

I was getting ready for another day at work and started thinking of when we'd first met. I couldn't help but chuckle.

I was just leaving my apartment to pick up Nessie from a friend she'd made at school's house, and was walking toward the elevator. I saw two women walking towards me, and smiled politely as we passed.

Suddenly I heard a squeal.

"Oh, my gosh! Is that an Oscar de le Renta original!?"

I turned around to see a spiky haired woman who could've been in middle school. She barely reached my shoulders.

"Um, yes?"

It came out sounding like a question, even though I knew it was. Angela and a few others got me this wool suit for Christmas last year, and it's the first time I'd worn it. It looked a little expensive so I was afraid to put it on and ruin it. I was being optimistic about moving to New York so I decided to pull it out and wear it. Apparently, it _was_ expensive. Someone wouldn't squeal about an outfit from Wal-Mart.

"Oh I just love his collections!"

"Well, this was actually a gift, but I love it too," I said, not knowing how to reply.

"I'm Alice," tiny stuck out her hand, "and this is Rosalie, your neighbor."

Rosalie was blond, tall and beautiful. She made me cringe internally at how remarkably stunning she was.

"Don't let looks deceive you. Rose is the best mechanic in New York," Alice said, while Rosalie just smirked, while looking bored.

"Oh. That's nice. Well," I said looking at my watch, "it was really nice to meet you, but I need to pick my daughter up from her friend's house."

"Okay! We'll see you soon…" she trailed off.

"Bella Swan."

"Okay, well Bella Swan, maybe we can hang out sometime! Meet your daughter and get to know each other! That will be fun! We can come over tonight! I'll bring a movie and pizza! See you at eight?" Alice exclaimed.

"Umm, okay. I guess that will be fine," I said giving them perplexed looks. Rosalie just rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"You'll soon learn that Alice does what Alice wants, and there is no way to rein her in. Oh, and she doesn't take no for an answer either," Rosalie added.

"I'll see you guys later then."

The sound of Nessie knocking on the bathroom door brought me back to present. I had to take her to school before I headed to work.

"You ready baby?" I asked.

"Yes mommy. Today were starting on poetry! I'm so excited mommy! I've never studied poetry before!"

Nessie loved school, but Shakespeare at eight years old? I don't know the curriculum, but whatever works. She is going to enjoy it.

"That's great honey, now go get your shoes on and you can tell me more about it in the car on the way to school."

She nods and takes off down the hall.

Nessie is my everything; my pride and joy. She wasn't planned, and everything in my life changed when I became pregnant, but I wouldn't take any of it back.

_**Flashback**_

_I couldn't believe this. I was falling for him. I've never felt this way before, and it's scaring the hell out me._

_He told me he was a player. I knew this was just a spring break fling, but I couldn't help my feelings. I didn't want this to happen. I didn't want to feel so strongly about him when I'd never see him again._

_We spent every waking minute getting to know each other emotionally as well as physically. He was unlike any guy I'd ever met back home. He was sexy, confident, and all that jazz. However, he was also sweet, considerate, and a gentleman, believe it or not. Edward was changing my life and he didn't even know it._

_I was just some girl to kill free time with. At first, I wanted the same out of him. Things just became too much. I don't know how it happened, but I was in love with Edward Cullen._

_And I had to do something._

_I ran off the beach back to my hotel room. Tanya was always partying all hours of the night. Edward and I usually said our goodbyes after one or so, depending on the situation._

_I grabbed my suitcase and began to pack briskly. I would leave Tanya a note, that way she couldn't stop me._

_I was in over my head. I knew I should've just stayed home for spring break. I never planned on falling for someone, especially someone so unattainable. Edward liked to play the field, and besides, he lived across the country and goes to school in Chicago. What could I expect to come out of this besides heartache?_

_I had to get out. I had to leave before I got even more attached._

_He probably wouldn't even know I would be gone. My feelings were too strong for him. I had to leave. I have no other choice._

_Right?_

I shook off the wretched thoughts. I couldn't think of things like that right now. Ever since that awful week, I couldn't look at any guy the same. I couldn't be in a long relationship because I compared everyone to him.

_What is wrong with me?_

I pulled into the school lot and went to help Nessie out of the car. She jumped down and while I grabbed her book bag from the back seat.

"Alright honey. Here's your backpack," I said, handing her the bag, "remember, we're going out for dinner with Alice and Rosie tonight, okay?"

Her face lit up. She loved Alice and Rosalie. She was really the only one allowed to call Rosalie 'Rosie'. She had a soft spot for Nessie, as did Alice. They loved playing dress up, even thought Ness wore uniforms to school.

"Okay mommy! I'm so excited! I love going out to dinner with our friends!"

I gave her a kiss and smoothed her hair. She had brown hair just like mine. Just as frizzy too. Over the years, I've learned to tame mine. She's still working on hers.

"I'll see you after school honey."

"Okay. I love you mommy!"

"I love you too baby," I waved as she ran up the steps.

When I arrived at work, I was waiting for my computer to boot up when Emmett walked in.

"Hey Bells. How's your morning been so far?" he asked.

"Pretty good," I replied, "took Nessie to school, and we're going to dinner tonight with a few friends."

"So what's on the agenda for today?"

"Let me check," I said as I reached for my Blackberry and shuffled through his schedule.

"Well, you have meetings at nine, ten fifteen, and two, but other than that…" I checked my emails to make sure there was nothing new. "Oh, and a conference call at three thirty. That's it for now."

"Thanks, Bella."

With that, he went inside his office and shut that door. Emmett was a nice guy. As soon as we met, I called him Mr. McCarty, and he almost had a heart attack. Apparently no one called him that, just Emmett.

He was my boss, but he was also a friend. We weren't hanging out outside of work or anything, but we were on a friendly basis at the office. He was fun to be around and hilarious.

I sat at my desk for the next few hours taking messages, transferring calls, answering emails, and playing solitaire. Finally, it was time for lunch, and Alice called and said her and Rosa were entering the elevator now. Two minutes later, they were walking up to my desk, and I was shutting down my computer for the hour.

"Hi Bella! How's work been?" Alice asked.

"Good. Same as always, but good none the less," I replied.

"So where do you want to eat?" Rosalie asked. At first, Rosalie was a little cold, but she warmed up after the first month, and after Nessie started calling her Rosie.

"It doesn't matter to me. I'm starving though."

Just then, Emmett came out of his office, and stopped dead in his tracks. I noticed his eyes were zoning in on Rose.

"Hey Em. These are my friends Alice Brandon, and Rosalie Hale. Guys, my boss Emmett," I said smirking. Rosalie noticed his stare, dropped jaw, and wait… is that drool?

She gave him a death glare. She was use to guys hitting on here and looking her up and down like she was the cover of a Playboy. She could hold her own, so guys learned quickly that you didn't mess with her unless you wanted a lot of pain in a very little bit of time.

"H-hi."

That was all he got out. I chuckled. I've never seen Emmett so flustered.

"You okay Em?" I couldn't help picking on him. He was constantly making fun of me for my reading preferences, or the occasional co-worker that appeared out of thin air to ask me out for lunch. Revenge is sweet.

"Uh, what?" he said, breaking his gaze from Rosalie and shaking his head a little. He looked confused and scratched his head.

"It's okay. We're going to go now."

We all shuffled to the elevator giggling the whole way down.

"What was that all about?" Rosalie asked.

"That was my boss Emmett being befuddled for, what I think, was the first time ever," I chuckled.

Rosalie scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, hush Rose. We know you like your men big and burly like him. We all know you're attracted to him, so cut the crap," Alice chimed.

Rosalie smirked. "He doesn't have to know that."

We all laughed and piled out of the elevator and into Rosalie's BMW.

We arrived at 'Lilly's', a diner just down the street, and were seated at a table.

"So Bella," Alice started, "anything new?"

I knew what she was getting at, was I seeing anyone new, anyone new come around, anything like that. I never told her the story of Edward, and how that little time with him ruined every guy for me from then on out. I broke my own heart, and it was my fault. He didn't know how I felt, but he did lead me on. He knew what was going to happen and he kept being sweet, and kind, and sexy, and _ugh_. He kept putting on his charm to get me to sleep with him, and I knew it, but I played along anyways. Tanya and I decided I needed to let go and have fun, so I did that with him. Then he told me this was just a fling. I knew it, but it still hurt. Especially when I realized I was falling for him. I knew what we had couldn't go past that time frame, with us going back to college, but he seemed different; spending all his time with me, being a gentleman and being sweet all the time. I guess everything really was my fault for taking everything the wrong way, I suppose.

_**Flashback**_

_It was nine in the morning, and I was sitting on the beach, waiting for him. We met here every day, same time, same spot. I don't know why we kept spending all our time together, but I wasn't going to complain._

"_Hey beautiful," he said as he sat behind me, legs on each side, and wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on my shoulders._

"_Morning," I stated simply._

_He let out a low chuckle, and it was so beautiful I couldn't help but sigh in contentment at the sound of it._

"_I brought something for you," he said, reaching a book around my side to rest in the sand._

"_What is it?" I asked, lifting the book and reading the title._

_It was a copy of _Wuthering Heights_. I gasped as I ran my fingers lightly across the cover. I couldn't believe it._

"_Where did you get this?" I asked._

"_I found a book store along the strip and it made me think of you. I remember you saying you read it a lot when you were younger, but it got too ratty so you had to toss it. I asked the clerk if they had a copy, and sure enough, they had one in stock. So I bought it for you," he shrugged in nonchalance._

"_Edward, that's so sweet."_

_I felt tears prickling in my eyes. If he wanted us to leave whatever we had together here, he needed to stop doing things like this._

"_You really shouldn't have," I said turning to face him._

"_I wanted to," he said before pressing his lips softly to mine._

_He licked my bottom lip asking for permission to enter, and I complied, opening my mouth to meet his sweet tongue. He gripped my hips while still leaving our mouths connected, and rolled us over, so he was lying on top of me in the sand._

"_Edward," I whispered, as he pressed his thick hard on against my shorts._

"_Bella," he said, as he released my lips, but kept them connected to my body, peppering kisses down my neck, to the sweet spot below my ear._

"Bella!"

I was suddenly aware of Alice snapping her fingers inches from my face, with Rosalie chuckling beside her.

"Sorry," I mumbled, taking a sip of my coffee the waiter had brought earlier.

I hated when thoughts like such popped into my head unexpectedly. I had other experiences before, and after Edward, but he was the only one that stuck in my head. I'd tried everything to forget him, but it was near impossible, for more reasons than just my thoughts in my head.

"Bells, are you okay?" Alice looked worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said.

"So Rosalie, you have the hots for my boss?" I put an attempt at a subject change.

"Shut it. I don't want anything to do with him," she replied coldly.

Alice and I looked at each other and started laughing, knowing she was full of it.

"Whatever, Rose. We saw you get wide eyed when he strutted from his office," Alice added.

Rosalie was fuming, and she looked on the verge of clawing our eyes out, so Alice decided to change the subject again.

"How's Nessie doing? Is she still enjoying the city?" she asked.

I loved talking about my daughter. She was my pride and joy. Just mentioning her would lift my spirits in any situation.

"She's great. They're starting poetry in school today and she's bouncing off the walls because of it. We're supposed to go this weekend to find her a birthday present. So, that would me you guys need to come along for our shopping exposé."

Alice squealed, and Rosalie even smiled. She adored Nessie. For someone as cold and snarky as her, you'd never expect her to like kids.

"Oh, this is going to be so much fun! We're still on for dinner tonight, right?"Alice asked.

I nodded in agreement.

We finished our food with small talk, and thankfully, Alice never asked anymore questions about any new guys in my life.

We reached the office and joked about Rosalie coming up to see Emmett, before they sped off.

When I reached my desk, Emmett was already there, chewing on his nails, and pacing back and forth. I automatically thought something was wrong.

"Emmett? Are you okay? Is something wrong?" I panicked.

"What? No, no, everything's fine. Who was that woman?" he asked

I knew he was talking about Rosalie but I couldn't resist having fun with him.

"Who?" I said, cocking my head to the side.

"Don't play with me Ms. Swan. The beautiful blond!"

I chuckled. "Oh, you mean Rosalie?"

"Is that her name?"

"Yeah, Rosalie Hale, remember, I introduced you."

"I guess I was a little distracted," he said, looking a little embarrassed.

"Bella, you have to get me in. She's absolutely stunning, and I would love to take her out and get to know more about her. I bet there's more to her than just looks."

He said the last part so low, I think it was meant for himself.

"I'll try, but Rose is a little firecracker. I don't know if you could handle her," I joked.

"Pfft," he scoffed.

I shook my head at him and took my seat at my desk.

The rest of the day was uneventful. When the day was over, I packed up my things, and went to pick Nessie up from school.

"Hey baby, how was your day?" I asked her, with a kiss on top of her head.

"Mommy it was great! We read poetry from all kinds of different people! It was so neat!" she was bouncing in her seat she was so excited.

"Really? What else happened," I asked.

"Umm… I got my spelling test back, and we took History notes, took a Math test, and had baked steak for lunch!"

"What did you get on your spelling test?" I'm sure I already knew the answer, but I always asked anyways.

"100% mommy! Isn't that great?" she beamed.

I nodded and drove back to the apartment building while she told me stories of her friends.

After finishing her homework and getting ready, we went to dinner with Alice and Rosalie.

Dinner went well. Alice never presses for information with my love life when Nessie was around, for which I was grateful. When Alice brought up the opposite sex, Nessie seemed to always wonder where daddy was.

"While daddy can't be with you, God sent you to me because you were such a special girl. I love you enough for two parent's baby."

That's what I always told Nessie, and it was true for the most part. She didn't know her daddy was a 'hit-it-and-quit-it' type of guy; that even though mommy was falling for him, he didn't want anything between them to go past the spring break week.

She couldn't possibly tell her anything like that.

I woke the next morning with my alarm clock going off and got ready for work.

"I'll see you after school Ness. Don't forget, we're birthday shopping tomorrow!" I told Nessie while dropping her off at school.

"I won't mommy! I love you!" she yelled.

"I love you too baby," I replied.

When I arrived at work, Emmett was already there to bombard me with questions about the goddess with blond hair and an hour glass figure.

"Did she say anything about me?" he asked before I even got to my desk.

"Good morning to you too Em," I said sitting down.

"Cut the crap, Swan, what's up?"

I chuckled. He went straight to the punch, didn't he?

"Well, not much really. Just that you looked like a pompous jerk, and she wouldn't… how did she put it? Oh, yeah, that 'she wouldn't touch you if you were holding the last pair of Jimmy Choo's ever made, had the world's biggest package, and treated her like the queen bee she was'."

He looked shocked, and a little turned on, and maybe even a little confused?

"What the hell is a Jimmy Choo?"

Ah, so there's the confusion.

"Shoes Em, shoes."

He nodded in understanding. "So that means she likes me right? You _are _going to convince her to go out with me. _Right_?"

I shrugged. "That's up to her Emmett. Now please, you have an eight-thirty."

He slumped his shoulders and stalked off to his office to sulk for the rest of the day.

When it was time to leave and pick up Nessie, Emmett came out of his office with a very happy look on his face.

"Emmett, did you just rub one off thinking of my friend?" I joked.

"Har har Bella. No, actually one of my old friends called and he and his cousin are moving back to New York for good! He's coming by next week! Isn't this great! I'm so excited!"

He was literally jumping up and down with excitement.

"Whoa, cowboy, calm down. That's great Em, but you're going to have to tell me more about it on Monday, I've got to get Nessie," I said.

"Oh, that's cool. I'll tell you about it next week then. I can't wait for you to meet them! You guys will hit it off, I just know it," he winked.

"Alright, well I'll see you next week Emmett."

I was soon at the school and Nessie was getting in the car.

"Hey mommy," she sounded sad.

"What's wrong honey? Something happen at school?" I hated seeing her even a little upset. It breaks my heart.

"Mommy, will I ever have a daddy?"

_Shit._

We haven't had this talk in so long. I was going to have to say something better as she got older.

"Um, well, honey…" I stammered. "Maybe one day you will have someone who could be a daddy to you, but mommy doesn't know sweetheart. Why? Did someone say something at school?"

She shook her head. "No, mommy, no one said anything. I just noticed everyone has a mommy and daddy picking them up, and I only have a mommy. I'm happy with just us, I promise, I was just curious."

"Are you sure sweetie? Is this something that bothers you?"

She shook her head again and gave me a sugary smile.

"Let's go home and bake cookies mommy!"

I chuckled. "How could I say no to you?"

_A/N: Like I said, filler. I got a little carried away with the nothingness/long chapter, but hey, you enjoyed yourself, right?_

_I'll be updating soon! I'm a stay at home mommy with nothing better to do with her time!_

_3_


	3. AUTHORS NOTE: UPDATED 12710

As of right now, Can You Keep a Secret is now on hiatus. I really want this fic to turn out good and I can't do that with multiple stories going.

FOHL is going good right now so I'm going to finish that first, then get a start on this one.

I hope you guys wait up for me!

Thanks!

* * *

A/N: January 27th

Okay, so I have this on hiatus for now until my other story is completed.

I'm trying really hard to wrap that one up so I can get started with this one.

HOWEVER...

I'm going to be REWRITING this story.

I re-read everything today and didn't like how it was turning out. The plans I have for later in the plot won't work with how the story started.

So the story is still on hiatus, but I will be deleting the chapters that are up right now sometime in the following weeks.

I'm working on the story in my spare time. Basically, in between chapters for FOHL. Don't get too excited, I haven't even finished the first chapter yet.

I want this story to be really good, so I'm going to work on it for awhile and write a few chapters ahead before posting the first one.

I'm hoping everyone will like the new rewritten story.

Thanks for being understanding (I hope)!

See you soon!

-BellasMommy


	4. AN 3 24 10

I just wanted everyone to know that I am finishing this and that I am working on it.

I'm actually in the process of rewriting it. I'm starting over and working on it in increments while I finish FOHL.

So stay with me. It might be a bit, but I _am _working on it.

I just like to give you guys reassurance. I hate when a story I like is on hiatus and the author doesn't update the readers.

So there you go!

See you soon, I hope!


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